Oredola Adeola|
The Lagos State Government has flagged off the continuation of the Reconstruction of Lagos-Badagry Expressway at the International Trade Fair Complex in Lagos awarded to the Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) on March 2009.
Dr. Onafemi Hamzat, Lagos State Deputy Governor, at the flag-off ceremony charged residents of the axis to cooperate and help monitor the contractor.
Recall that the road project commenced in March 2009 and the Eric-Moore to Mile-2 and Mile-2 to Agboju has been completed, while Agboju to Trade Fair which has been abandoned for the past 10 years has now been flagged off for completion.
The Deputy Governor further noted that the new Lagos State Governmen has recognised the strategic importance of the project to the state and promised to ease the inconvenience being faced by citizens on the road.
He said, “You will recall that on June 2, just three days after the inauguration of the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, we were here to show Lagos residents that this is a critical road for us, and that work will start again on this road. We are here today to fulfill that promise.
“As you recall, it’s a massive road project, from four lanes to 10 lanes. It’s a 60km lane from Eric-Moore all through to Okokomaiko. This is to say that we will again begin work on this road, and by the grace of God, the road from Agboju to the Lagos International Trade Fair will be completed by the end of this year, from four to 10 lanes.
“Then, palliative measures will be put in place from Trade Fair to Okokomaiko to make the road motorable for our people while construction will be going on, ” he said.
Dr Hamzat further revealed that the state government is working with the Federal Government to make the road accessible to Seme border crossing.
He said, “As at today, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, which is in charge of road maintenance, has awarded the rehabilitation of the four lanes from Igbo-Elerin to Agbara.
“This is because on that axis, you have pipelines and various infrastructure that need to be preserved, but at least, it will be motorable for residents and there will be no bottlenecks.
“The Federal Ministry of Works has also awarded from Agbara to Seme border. That will be six lanes. So, this will make it easier for residents to move around without obstructions," the Deputy Governor said.
He said, “It is important to note that on our way here, we saw a lot of vehicles facing one-way. In the process, we stopped some of them and their excuse was that “there is no road’.
“Unfortunately, on that same road, we saw a young man that was hit by an ‘Okada’ who was driving against traffic. That young man can be somebody’s brother, son or cousin. So, we cannot say because the road is in a bad shape, we will now break the law.
“In the course of this project, there will be diversions, and we are appealing to citizens to be patient and cooperate with the contractors so that people will not get injured, because machines will be moved in here.
“We need to cooperate to make the work easier for quick delivery and for the benefit of residents. Help government to monitor the reconstruction project and the pace of work, send SMS to us so we can take action," Dr Hamzat revealed.
Meanwhile, Bill Bian, General Manager of the CCECC, has promised to speed up work and ensure palliative measures to ease traffic in the course of the project, adding that the scope of work included provision of Lay-bys, pedestrian bridges, flyovers, toll plazas, road signs and traffic lights.
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